Agape: the love that doesn't count

15 Hymns: Labor of Love

Posted: December 12th, 2006 | Author: | Filed under: 15hymns, art and culture, audio | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments »

Chad once said something that I will co-opt, and bastardize, to suit my purposes; “Every Christmas song worth a damn was either written 300 years ago, or is ‘Labor of Love’ by Andrew Peterson.” I loved this song from the moment I first heard it on a rehearsal demo for Chad’s Christmas musical a few years ago.

Since everyone else involved in this project seems intent on sending in radio-ready masters of incredible arrangements, I decided to play the contrary, and deliver this thing up, warts and all. I tried to stay with the simplicity of the original song, just alone at a piano in a noisy room, recording the song as it went down. If you want to hear the much, much better version, follow the happy itunes link:
Jill Phillips with Andrew Peterson - The Nativity Story: Sacred Songs - Labor of Love

For the rest of you, enjoy.

laboroflove.mp3

labor of love
photo by introspectre

22 Comments on “15 Hymns: Labor of Love”

  1. 1 michael lee said at 1:07 am on December 12th, 2006:

    Also, click the link to the photo, and see who the 2nd comment is from. I didn’t notice until I had already grabbed the link. Great minds think similaritously, eh?

  2. 2 Jonathan said at 1:37 am on December 12th, 2006:

    You should do this for offeritory some time soon.

  3. 3 Sharolyn said at 7:47 am on December 12th, 2006:

    Wow. Thanks for sharing this great song. Click on the link. Those photos are breathtaking!

  4. 4 Morphea said at 8:03 am on December 12th, 2006:

    Wow. Lovely to hear your dulcet tones again, Mike. This is, as you said, a very good song. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

    Weird to see a picture of my friend Intro on this blog. Six degrees, eh?

    Cerise

  5. 5 Stick said at 10:52 am on December 12th, 2006:

    Nice work. No sacbut, but I’ll let it slide in this case. It’s Christmas after all.

  6. 6 aly hawkins said at 9:11 pm on December 12th, 2006:

    Darn good warts, Michael.

  7. 7 Introspectre said at 2:53 pm on December 13th, 2006:

    Thanks, sweetness. That was lovely…

  8. 8 Morphea said at 3:15 pm on December 13th, 2006:

    I brought this to Introspectre’s attention today and she was really pleased to represent The Virgin. [snicker]

    Seriously, the song made her cry and she luuuurves Michael’s voice.

    Cerise

  9. 9 Morphea said at 4:20 pm on December 13th, 2006:

    …and my eworlds collide. Ka-BLOOEY.

    Cerise

  10. 10 Introspectre said at 12:19 pm on December 17th, 2006:

    Is that like a bad Ka-BLOOEY, or like the Ka-Blooey of the Stay Puff Marshamallow Man at the end of Ghostbusters? Just curious if it’s a gooey happy sticky the world is saved explosion (or is that implosion?) or the kind where your head pops off (which in some cases is a most excellent vacation.)
    Thanks, Cerise, darling. You rock. Now let’s hear you sing, too. I await…

  11. 11 WifeMotherMe said at 11:41 am on December 18th, 2006:

    As a hater of all things Christmasy …I have to say you made me cry. I am not sure if I appreciate that or not.

    PS Your oh so wrong, the Itunes link is not the better version.

  12. 12 Sheila said at 9:03 am on December 19th, 2006:

    Hi..I’m a “lurker”..had never heard that term before today. I’m one of Sharolyn’s gal pals who enjoys dropping in from time to time to be enlighted by you of a younger generation. So many intriguing thoughts to ponder and frequently a much needed laugh.

    Today it’s tears…I am sobbing, note- not weeping, sobbing, in response to Labor of Love.

    Speechless. So how to reply? Thanks for this poignant look back on the most important moment in history. You really took me there; visually, physically, emotionally. I swear I’m having contractions! But not just the womb kind, the heart kind also. So much compassion for this young girl (my daughter’s age) and what she went through to birth the Savior of the World. So much love for that precious newborn baby.

    All the “merry” things I’ve been working my butt off doing to contribute to the celebration of Christmas seem almost gross in contrast to a humble girl on a cold stable floor giving birth without her mom, (not to mention no epidural), fully engaged in something she’d never asked for, but completely submitted to. Truly, a labor of love.

    Thanks for the moving reminder of beautiful servantude and getting me back to the heart of the matter. I’m on my knees before the manger.

  13. 13 Sharolyn said at 6:39 pm on December 19th, 2006:

    Hooray, Sheila is here!

    Recently, the movie The Nativity helped bring me back to the manger. Because I rarely see movies these days, I thought it was just great. Chad could write a better review than I could. I’m sure some people out there probably have something not to like about it, but in very simple terms it was a reminder of how Christ’s birth is so beautiful and breathtaking.

  14. 14 vicki said at 8:26 am on October 30th, 2009:

    Andrew! How can I get a copy of the WART version!? I can’t believe you haven’t recorded this…it’s awesome. Is it buyable anywhere?

  15. 15 michael said at 8:58 am on October 30th, 2009:

    Vicki, sorry to disappoint, but this site has nothing to do with Andrew Peterson. This was just a quick knock-down version that I did for Christmas a few years back. It’s not for sale, but you can always find it here.

  16. 16 Chad said at 4:49 pm on October 31st, 2009:

    We need another 15 Hymns session this year. I’m cooking up at least one doozy.

  17. 17 michael lee said at 7:03 pm on October 31st, 2009:

    anyone else in?

  18. 18 michael said at 9:22 pm on October 31st, 2009:

    What about including originals as well as covers? Anybody working on any originals?

  19. 19 Gretchen said at 3:05 pm on November 3rd, 2009:

    I heard Stick was working on something.

  20. 20 michael said at 8:52 am on November 4th, 2009:

    Yeah, but that guy is a hack.

  21. 21 Stick said at 4:33 pm on November 5th, 2009:

    Yeah, besides the entire CD worth of instrumental versions of Christmas hymns that’s available now on my website and at the major online retailers, nothin’ in the works.

  22. 22 michael said at 8:24 pm on November 5th, 2009:

    nice. subtle.

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